My Pix Show 04

Friday, May 31, 2013

Good morning. It's 1:30 a.m., and I'm sitting here catching up on my blog reading and watching Law & Order re-runs on TV. Well, Thursday turned out to be a really beautiful day. It was sunny and warm, so I took advantage and washed my hair.

I may not have lots of hair, but the strands must be thick because it takes forever and a day to dry. This is why I need a nice warm day to wash it. I don't like using the dryer because my hair gets too frizzy. I mean it's frizzy anyway, but gets worse when I have to use a dryer.

Today I thought I would try a new shampoo and conditioner. This one is FRIZZ-EASE by John Frieda. Did it work? Well, sort of. My hair is nice and clean and soft and silky. And Frizzy!

Eddie came by and hooked up my air conditioner and the big dehumidifier in the other room. This will make it so much easier for me to breathe in this warmer weather. Sometimes a fan is just not enough. Sometime today, he will come by and set up the yard benches that I bought a while back. I can't wait till I can go shopping for new plants and yard things.

I promised you a something nice for today. It's a set of two QP's that I made with a freebie gift from Sugarbutt Designs. I subscribed a while back to follow her blog, and now I have a huge folder filled with wonderful freebies from her. She is a very talented and generous designer. As a blog follower, I receive a wonderful monthly thank you gift also.

This month, she asked some of us to use the freebie to make QP's and word art. Wow, so many nice things were made, and you can get them all free by visiting her blog. Take your coffee with you, and enjoy. Here's the set of QP's that I made using her thank you gift. I hope you like them.

Dee Dee and Eddie got me a beautiful new plant to put in my "Welcome" plant stand. Isn't this pretty? They got me the welcome stand last year, and they look really nice on my door step.

Well, now I think I'll give sleep another try. Maybe I'll have a cup of chamomile tea first to help put me in the sleep mode. Although, I may not need it. I'm already beginning to fade a bit. lol. So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Good morning. Wowee, what a time we had last night. Starting just before 11 p.m. a loud noise started, like the roar of a huge train engine. It got louder and louder, and finally CRASH! Oh my, what huge lightning bolts went cracking through the sky. Poor Pogo got scared and went into attack mode. I had to hang on to him to calm him down. I don't know who, but something somewhere got hit.

An hour later it had quieted down to just rain, thunder and smaller lightning strikes. Pogo doesn't usually get frightened by the thunder and lightning, but this episode would have scared the wrappings off a mummy. (Bear with me, I don't know where that phrase came from. Honest.)

I got the nicest surprise in my mailbox this morning from my good friend Kyra at "With A Russian Dutch Heart". She made me a layout using the photo of Pogo and Joe from yesterday's post, and her Nutshell kit "Primavera". Kyra, thank you so much. What a great way to start my day!

I will have to print an extra copy of this for Joe. He will be so pleased. Folks, if you haven't stopped by Kyra's blog for a visit and to see her wonderful kits, grab your coffee and head on over there. You're in for such a treat. Kyra makes such wonderful kits, and her friend Arlene makes some really beautiful clusters to match the kits.

I have another great photo to share with you this morning. This is a photo that my daughter Deanne sent to me of my grandchildren at the Memorial Day Parade the other day. Left to right is Jasmine, Kevin and their friend Katie.

I did not mention the other day, but this is what the newspaper had to say about Deanne and her sign. "One day is not enough", said Deanne J. Standing by the edge of City Hall, she waved a handmade sign that read 'Thank You" on the front, and on the back it held the names of her father, uncle, stepfather and two good friends, who all fought and who all have since died. "I'm not here just for them," she said, "but for everyone, past and present."

I have more good news. As of today, I will be an Assistant Administrator at Photography, Plus The Art of Photography". Woo Hoo!!! This is a wonderful group of people who love photography and help each other to learn more of this fabulous art. Thank you Barb, I'll do my best.

I did call my doctor's office yesterday to let them know how I am progressing with this "bug". I guess it wasn't a bug after all. I am mending but I cannot get rid of the hacking cough. The doctor said that with Pneumonia and Bronchitis, the cough will take another week or two at least to go away. No wonder it knocked me off my feet!

On that note, I think I shall head for the shower. My hair needs a good washing and today is the perfect day to do it. The temperature should be in the low 90's. Plenty warm enough to wash my hair and not catch a cold. (did I really say that?) So, till tomorrow, Y'all stay safe and have a fantabulous day.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Good morning. The weather here has been really quite nice. However, now that I am on the mend, it will change. Today we are expecting rain, and the next couple of days are supposed to hit the low 90's F. Although, maybe the heat will knock the crap out of this nasty bug. Hmmmm, food for thought.

Well, last night I had such fun playing on my laptop again. And something nice will come out of it for you too. But, well, that's a surprise for Friday. Gosh, doesn't that just get your noodles cooking? When someone gets your interest up and then slams the surprise door shut? Yeahhhh, but it is sooooo much fun!

Ever notice how every one always photographs their gorgeous flowers when they look their best? Well there is also lots of beauty in the aging blooms too. Have a look at these two "Wilted Beauties" and see if you don't agree. They are two of my tulips.

Aren't they beautiful? Age has its own beauty. Even with people. Over the years, we collect wrinkles and gray hair, and our shapes change. Some of us end up long and thin, while some of us take on a short, round shape. Through it all, we are still adorable. Don't think so? Just ask me!

This next photo shows youth at its finest. On a rose tree. This is my first pink bloom of the year. My other rose tree and bushes are all budded, and I'm excited to see which ones bloom first. Especially the yellow rose tree. It is loaded with big buds. Oh boy!

I think Pogo is beginning to feel better too. You should see him perk up and dance when it is time for Joe to come home from work. Pogo is at the door waiting and barking for Joe to bring on the bologna. This is Pogo's favorite treat so I make sure Joe never runs out of bologna. I buy "Lite", and in between treats, Pogo is fed doggie food. Maybe not the best, but it's what he will eat.

Here's a photo of Pogo and Joe out in the yard. This was taken before his (Pogo's) last hair cut. lol. That black thing that looks like a collar is Pogo's harness. He slipped out of his collar once, so now he has to wear his harness until the his little play yard is fenced in.

Well, that's about all the news for this morning. Now I'm going to enjoy a cup of coffee. So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Good morning. Well, the fever finally broke yesterday! It felt so good to have dry hair on my head all day. It's been such a soggy mess all week. I'm not going to wash it just yet though. It's rather cool in here so I'll wait a day or two till it warms up a bit more.

Yesterday afternoon, Pogo and I stepped outside for a few minutes to soak up some of that beautiful sunshine. It seems that while we've been sick in bed, the grass has been growing leaps and bounds. Pogo found this to be quite fun.

While Pogo was enjoying his safari through the grass jungle, my family was attending the local Memorial Day Parade. We are a very patriotic family as you can see by these wonderful photos taken by one of the local newspapers. This is Eddie and Dee Dee. So many members of our family are veterans. Can you tell we are very proud of all our veterans and our military?

I spent some time last evening trying to get caught up on all of my blog reading. I did make a pretty good dent in it! Hopefully, today I will catch up with everyone. As for my email, well that will take a bit longer. There is a ton of it waiting for my perusal.

Pretty soon, I'll get back to making more freebies for you too. My concentration isn't up to snuff yet, but I'm working on it. There is so much that I want to work on so I'll be busy for quite a while.

Today, I want to call my doctor to let him know how I'm doing. Maybe he will know of a way to get rid of this nasty cough. It is a dry, unproductive cough, and very annoying. It's also the main cause of my headaches. But as long as the fever is gone, I will assume that the rest will follow soon.

My hubby once told me that pickle juice was the best thing for sore throats. Well, I must confess that it does help quite a bit. The pickle tastes real good too! This past week, I enjoyed three big fat pickles, along with a few teaspoons of pickle juice. It worked wonders on my very sore throat.

Now I'm off to the kitchen to see about making a cup of coffee. I may even try a big bowl of cereal too. Ohhhhhhhhh my, after crackers and ginger ale all week, that raisin bran sounds so decadent! Oh Lord, I think my mind is slipping away. Be well folks. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Good morning. Yes, I'm still here. At least part of me is. There was a bit of noise in the laundry room this morning that woke Pogo up, and he started barking. That of course woke me up. I have to say I was quite crabby at being woke up like that.

That was over an hour ago, and I'm still up. Barely, but at least up. I've managed to catch up on some of my blog reading and the rest will have to wait till tomorrow. Last night, I tried some real food for supper, and I'm glad to say that I kept it down. This morning I had my first cup of coffee all week. So now we shall see. If I get to keep my food and my coffee, there is hope of recovery. lol.

This bug is really quite nasty. I haven't been this sick in a very long time. Last Fall I did get all my shots so I can imagine how bad this really could have been. Although I have to admit that my daughter is threatening to take me to the hospital if this doesn't clear up soon. I may not even argue with her.

Today is Mandarin Orange Monday, and I have a photo that I worked on just before the bug hit. It's not really fancy, just a fun photo of one of my tulips. The bee is from COH Scraps.

Here's a photo of my little cutie in his tiny little house. This house was one of my best purchases ever. Next to it is Pogo's overflowing toy box.

Well, now I'm petering out a bit so that will be all for this morning. I need to get back under my fuzzy blankets. Plus it's time to take my medicine. Yuk! I would rather be taking something for the wicked head ache that won't go away. Unfortunately, I have to space the medicine hours away from my asthma medicine, so there's really no time for any more pills. Ah well, it's just as well. I don't like pills. So, till tomorrow (if I can), Y'all have a wonderful day.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

I can't believe it's already Sunday. Seems like I've lost an entire week. I want to thank all of you for your well wishes. I'm still down with this nasty bug, but I've been able to stay up now for over an hour without falling over. lol. I will lick this thing, but it's taking a long time to do it.

I finally called my doctor last Wednesday and he phoned in a prescription for me. I don't know if the medicine is making things better yet. I haven't had much of an appetite this past week, and I feel so much thinner. Of course, one look in the mirror lets me know that is a myth.

My Deanne and Eddie (God bless them) have been checking on me and getting whatever Pogo and I need. Oh yes, my little man has also caught a bit of this nasty bug. He does his best to get to his potty patch, and when he can't he at least makes it to a scatter rug. Most of his time is spent sleeping in his little house or snuggled up in the blankets with me.

I have a photo to share of a tiny hummingbird that I took when I was last at work. It was sitting on a branch inside the rhododendron bush and cleaning itself. The photo was taken through the window, but I thought it came out good enough to share. Isn't it a cutie?

Now I must get back to my blankets and my ginger ale and saltines. (sea salt) I will catch up with all my blog reading as soon as I can. Boy oh boy, do I miss that! But all the coughing and fevers keeps my head hurting too much to read. Now I'm getting a bit light so I will leave for now. Till I'm up again, than you for caring and Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Good morning. I'll be quick this morning. I'm still laid up with this rather nasty cold. But I do have a couple of photos to share with you. I took these the last time I went to visit the Swan family. I'm sure all the babies have been born by now, but I just don't feel like going out for photos.

This was a black bird of sorts that was sitting on the fence by the pond. He was a bit of a distance away, but I managed to get a couple shots of him. I like the second photo the best. He must have my camera click because he flew to another spot.

That's it for this morning. I'm taking my cup of tea and honey and going back to bed. Stay well everybody. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Oh my goodness folks, some of the swan babies have been born (probably all of them by now) and they are so so precious. I stayed in bed all of yesterday, but Dee Dee called in the afternoon to say that their were some babies born.

Well, you know me, I just had to put some clothes on and get me to the pond. I waited close to supper time hoping that most of the heavy people watching traffic had gone home to eat. I even left Pogo at home with Joe so that I did not have to hurry.

There were three babies and two eggs. Oh boy, oh boy! I stood by the fence and took photos till my legs finally cried out for me to get off them. Gosh, the babies were just adorable!! I was hoping to go back early this morning, but I am really stuffed up with this cold. Maybe later today, we'll see.

I have some photos to share. These are the two youngest hatched so far. Mom is busy trying to keep them in the nest as long as she can.

This is the oldest born who is having himself a blast swimming in the water, and giving his Mom new worries.

One lady watcher suggested we try to photograph the swans with their heads together making a heart shape. I really tried, but this was one of my best shots.

I did take a fairly good movie, but alas, I do not know how to put it here on the blog. Sorry. I'll have to put that on my list of things to learn. Well now I'm going back to bed. Later on, I have a bit of blog reading to catch up with. I miss my visits to my friends' blogs. So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fabulous day.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Good morning. I won't be chatting much this morning. I just got home from work and I want to head for my little bed. I'm trying to fight off a cold, and it leaves me feeling rather yucky. I do, however, want to post my offering for Mandarin Orange Monday. This is from one of the quince bushes in the Mrs' yard.

The other thing that I want to share is this week's lesson at Digital Photography Plus, which is how to erase objects and power lines from your photos. If you'd like to learn how to do this, come join us. This is a great group of folks, and we'd love to have you.

The first photo is my original , and the second photo has the lines removed and is cropped. Quite a difference.

Well folks, that's it for today. This cold is getting me down, so I'm going to lay low today and hope it goes away. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Good morning. It's almost noon, but it has been a busy morning so far. Between laundry, house cleaning and a few other mundane chores, I've not had much of a chance to sit and type a post. My granddaughter is here helping me so I can't sit for too long.

I went to check on the swan family yesterday afternoon. No babies yet, but they did have another visitor. Daddy Swan was busy keeping human hands away from the fence, and a Muscovie Duck away from the nest. The eggs must be going to hatch soon because Daddy Swan was being extra protective yesterday. This is Daddy Swan.

And this is the new visitor. He really is quite handsome.

Well, that's it for this morning. I need to get back to the housework. Groan, groan. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fabulous day.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Good morning. The sun is shining and today should be a gorgeous day with temps around 70 degrees F. Hopefully, later today after work, Pogo and I can go to see the swans again. I had a busy day yesterday and did not have time to go see them.

My doctor visits yesterday proved to be just fine. The breathing medicine is helping, and my eye doctor really surprised me. I had both cataracts removed in 2002, and a laser treatment in 2006. Today my eyes are perfectly healthy with no changes. I'd say that was pretty good news.

I'm work so this will probably be a very short post. Mrs is asleep, but I expect she will be awake soon. I have a few more photos of the swans to share with you. In the first photo, Momma Swan is changing the eggs' positions. She turns them over and rearranges them.

Here's a close up of Momma Swan. You can see that she is getting a bit wind-blown.

It was quite windy that afternoon. The wind was so strong that it was blowing the water lily leaves over.

Now I need to be getting busy here. But first let me give you a pretty freebie floral corner (Dover & me). Enjoy it.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Don't look now, but we've already passed the middle point in this merry month of May. I just can't get over how quickly the days are going by. We waited so long for Spring to get here, yet before you know it Winter will be here again.

This will be a short post because I have to get ready to leave in a little while for my doctor appointments. One is with the eye doctor, and I'm looking forward to that one. It's been a long while since I last had my eyes checked, and I probably need new glasses. The other appointment is just to check to see if the breathing medicine is helping. It seems to be working much better than the other medicine.

Yesterday, Pogo and I went back to see the swans again. No babies yet, but it was so interesting. I took more photos but I still have to look through them to see how they came out. Later, we visited with Janet and then it was time to pick Jasmine up at school.

By 8 o'clock last night, Pogo and I were already in bed for the night. Before long, I was sound asleep. Think I was tired? Yeah, just a little. I have some hummingbird photos that I took through the Mrs' living room window. The sun was going down fast, so I used the flash.

Now I really must get going. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Good morning. I'm still at work, and the Mrs is asleep. Thank goodness. She woke up a little while ago and boy oh boy was she ever cranky! Maybe next time she wakes she will be in a better mood. No matter, because in a while I will be going home to Pogo.

I am attempting to upload a video to share with you. I took it yesterday with my DSLR. My daughter Deanne took me to see the swans, and oh wowee. It was simply awesome. Mommy Swan was sitting on her nest keeping all six of her eggs warm, while her mate swam close by.

OOPS, sorry - did not work. ( I'll try again later)

I spent three hours last night trying to figure out how to upload the video to You Tube so that I could put it here, but that did not turn out so good. As of now, Blogger can't upload it either. Wow, one would think that it is a full length movie. But it's only a couple of minutes. Ah well, you'll have to settle for photos for now.

I am hoping to go back today to see what's happening and get more photos. A lot of folks stop by the pond to see the swans. One of the people there told me that the eggs have been there more than 42 days, and should be hatching anytime now. Wow, wouldn't that make for some fabulous photos? I wish!

Yesterday was my day for photo ops. On my way to work last night, (just a couple of minutes before I got here) this magnificent critter ran across the road in front of my car. I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car in time to get this shot. Then the deer ran off into the woods.

Then, while at work just before the sun went down, um - I think I'll save that for tomorrow's post. You never know. Today might be a dull day and I won't have anything to post tomorrow. lol.

That makes me chuckle a bit. I am in my sixth year of blogging, and I haven't missed very many days. Who would have thought that the bashful child of yesterday would turn into such a chatty cathy. (Chatty Cathy was a life size talking doll from back in the years 1958-1962.)

Well, that's it for this morning's news. Pretty soon I will pack up my things and head on home. Yeahhhh! The sun is shining so pretty and bright, and I'm itching to get out there with my camera. So till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Good morning. The sun is shining and it's around 60 degrees F, so it looks like we are in for another beautiful day. Dee Dee called yesterday and said that they will take me to see the swans today, so I hope things go as planned. If not, well then there's tomorrow.

Yesterday was a lazy day for Pogo and me. We just spent a lot of quality time together. My little guy shakes a lot when I am not with him. When I am holding him, the shaking stops. I was getting worried about it, but I think it has more to do with memories than with illness. Either way, I will check with his doctor about it.

I have some cute photos to share with you this morning. I took these through the Mrs' patio door on Mothers Day. I know these little guys are really pesky, especially if they get into your house, but they are oh so adorable to watch. Nani, these should brighten your day.

One of these days, I will have to wash those patio doors for the Mrs. (and me) There is a lot life happening on that patio, and I lose a lot of photo chances because the windows are textured (dirty).
The same goes for the big living room window. I want to at least clean the area near the hummingbird feeder. Mrs gets a lot of activity at this feeder.

This morning, I am enjoying some re-runs of Law & Order on TV. Somehow I find these so much better than most of the new programs that are shown. I used to enjoy most of the programming on the weather channel, but these are changing too. They are beginning to get heavy on programs that chase and kill wildlife. There's even a new program coming about being the best shot with a gun. I don't really think that this sort of programming is entertainment.

Well, it's time to check the mail and get dressed. There's a new day waiting to be enjoyed, and then tonight it's back to work again. So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Good morning. I'm sitting here watching the Weather Channel, and I am so amazed at the weather that is happening all around the country. Can you believe? Some places are still getting frost and snow. Even we are having frost warnings. Amazing!

I hope everyone had a nice day yesterday. My very long shift with the Mrs was actually quite pleasant. Long, but nice. Of course, my homecoming greeting from Pogo was even nicer. This morning I even got lots of doggie kisses. Wow! This little guy sure knows how to make your heart melt.

This morning I have some super cool photos to share with you. I'm learning to always keep my camera on the front seat of the car when I am driving. You miss a lot of photo ops when you leave the camera bag on the back seat.

I pulled up to a traffic light, and this was the view from my drivers' side window. I only had a minute, but I did manage to get a few good shots.

This was the view from the next traffic light.

And at the next set of lights, I got this beauty in my sideview mirror.

Some days I just get lucky and find some great shots. Hopefully, today or tomorrow, Dee Dee and Eddie are going to take me to a place where I can photograph a swan and her nest. I can't wait!

Now it's time for me to busy around here. First, I have a new texture for you that I made from one of the rain (on the windshield) photos. I hope you can use it.

Here is your download link:
Expired

My first chore this morning is to give Pogo's Potty Patch a bath. Oh joy, oh joy. Well, it's not so bad. I put it in the bathtub and spray it with the hand held shower. I'll bet that bit of news just made your day, huh? lol. Till tomorrow folks, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Good morning. Tis a bit cloudy at the moment (6:30 a.m.) and we are expecting more rain. Oh goodie goodie. On a brighter side, everything here is so green! I would like to wish all you Moms out there a Happy Mothers Day. For anyone who has ever done something to make life a little brighter for a child or an animal, may your day be beautiful. Here's a big HUG for all of you.

Here's one of the Mother's Day cards that I made. I've also packaged up the Quick Page for you.

Isn't Pogo just precious? Gosh, if I could I would fill my house with lots of these little fur babies. They give so much joy, and ask for so little in return.

Here's the the other card that I made for Mothers Day. Isn't the tulip just gorgeous? This beauty is growing in my garden. Seeing as how it is a fabulous orange, I will post it on Mandarin Orange Monday too.

I am still here at work, and will be until 7 o'clock tonight. So far, the Mrs has been in a good mood. Let's hope it lasts all day today. lol. The only bad part of being away from home for so long is that I miss my Pogo. I know that he will spend a lot of time today sitting by the door waiting to hear my car pull in. I'm one lucky mommy.

Here's a photo that I took of Pogo yesterday. He's snuggled into his bed with a new blanket and some of his fuzzy toys, and keeping his eye on me while I get ready for work. This is the photo that I used on the Mothers Day layout.

I do have the new texture ready for you, but I will save that for tomorrow. I can hear the Mrs beginning to stir so I must get busy here soon. That's about all my news, so till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.